Charles milleu



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treat of its needle.

UNITED lsTATss PATENT cierren...

CHARLES MILLER, OF NEW YORK, N.

. w y Y., ASSIGNOR T() II'IMSELF AND GEO. RICARDO, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING PILE FABRICS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 27,671, dated March 27, 1860.

T o all whom 'it may concern:

Be it. known that I, CHARLES MILLER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and Improved i\'[achinery for the Manufacture -of .Piled Fabrics; and I do hereby declare that thel following is a full, clear, andexaet description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, `making part of this specifi ation. i

My invention relates to the manufacture of piled fabrics suitable for carpets or for other purposes by the introduction into a previously woven foundation of canvas or other fabric, of threads which, after being passed through said foundation in the form of rows of loops at regular or suit-able intervals, are secured by a continuons filling thread which passes through the sevc 'al rows of loops in succession. In this way I am enabled to produce a pile on either or both sides of the foundation; the protruding` loops forming it on one side and the portion of the thread between the loops forn'iing it on the other side; and by .cutting the thread between the loops I am enabled to produce a cut or velvet pile on one side.

My invention consists in the employment, in this manufacture, of a series of needlesl arranged side by side at suitable distances apart forjpassing the threads through the foundation in 'the' form of loops in rows eX- tending the whole Width ofthe fabric, and a long needle operating transversely to the Hist-mentioned or loop needle, for carrying the filling thread through the loops.

My invention also consists in a certain contrivance for holding the filling thread during the retreat of the needle which passes it through the loops for the purpose of preventing the said thread being withdrawn wholly or partly from the loops by the re- It also consists in a certain contrivance for feeding the foundation to the needles for the lreception of Athe pile threads. Also in certain means of operating a set of rods or wires which I in some cases employ forthe purpose of forming the pile.

`In the accompanying drawing, Sheet I, represents a machine for the manufacture of fabrics with an uncut pile on one side, emf

bracing only a portion of my invention; and Sheet IIA, represents a machme for the manufacture of fabrics with a cut pile on one side or of fabrics with a cut pile on one side .and an uncut pile on the other, embracing the whole of my invention.

I will first describe the machine shown in Sheet-I, for the reason that it is the simplest, and afterward describe the machine sho-wn in Sheet II.

In Sheet I, Figure l, is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, taken at right angles to Fig. l. Fig. 3. is a sectional plan of the same. Fig. 4, is a perspective view of a portion of the front plate of the machine. Fig. 5 is a front view of the end of the needle which carries the feeding or locking thread. Fig.

G, exhibits a section, parallel with the pilethreads, of the fabric produced. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

A. is the bedplate supported on suitable' standards B, B, and having erected on opposits ends two fames C, C', containing the bearings for the horizontal main shaft G, of the machine. These frames C, C, are stayed together at the top by a bar C. The front. frame C, also contains the guides f, f, for the vertically working slider D, which farries the needles c, a, for the introduction of the pile threads; said needles being of the kind commonly used in sewing machines, that is to say having eyes near their points and grooves in their backs and being ar ranged vertically and firmly secured side by side and very near together, forming a row of a length equal to the desired width of y the vpiled fabric to be manufactured.

To the front of the bedplate there is secured a plate E, on the front edge of which there are formed teeth c, c, of such 'width and at such distances apart that the needles may work up and down freely between them, the tops of said teeth being flush with the top of the plate A, to support the fabric be tween the needles, and the bottoms of said teeth being madeof angular form as shown in Figs. 2 and si, so that the teeth where 100 they unite with the body of the plate A, are of the whole depth of the plate, lout that the' upper portions have a much less depth. The needles pass between the deep portions of `the teeth. The needle-slider D, derives the necessary movement to operate the needles i from a grooved cam F, on the main shaft I tion forA the G, the groove/g, Aof saidv cam receiving an anti-friction roller L, attached to the slider, the movement of the slider being of a similar character vto that which is commonly given to the needle-slide or needle-arm -of sewing machines, that is to say, its downward movement is uninterrupted but a stoppage takes place at an early stage in its npward movement to permit the-entry of the' filling thread into the loops of the pile threads. The needles rise high enough for their points to passa little way above the top of the plate E, and low enough to take their eyes some distance below the thin parts of the teeth c, c.

The pile threads I), b, which are shown in different colors may be supplied from a roll or beam H, of simllar character to the yarn beam of a loom supported on the to of the rear standard C, or may be supplie from a number of bobbins or spools. The said threads pass from thebeam H, or their bobbins or spools through guiding eyes d, d, in a bar I, on the top of the needle slider D, and thence down to the needles. Asuitable degree of friction is produced on the beam or spools by any well-known means of producing friction on such contrivances, as ernployed in looms and other machinery, to preserve a proper tension of the pile threads b, b.

J, is a roll from which the woven foundapiled fabric is supplied, arranged'to turn freely on a fixed Ispindle or hung in suitable bearings a short distance above the back artof the bedplate A.A I

it smoothly out u employ for this oundation any plain woven .goods of cotton, flax, or other materialaccordingto the character of the fabric I wish to produce. For the production of carpets I would use a foundation .of stout canvas or duck, and for the production of lighter fabrics some lighter goods. The, foundation i, which is represented tinted green in the drawing, passes from the roll J, forward over the bedplate and the late E, and under a smoothing plate K, -w ch presses on; the bedplate and under the needle shder D, to a take-up roll L, arranged to rotate on a fixed spindle fr, in front of the machine.I Y I Thesmoothing plate K, which vkeeps the foundation spread out smoothly on its ar rival at the needles, is attached by a hinge joint'y', to a` lever M, which is suspended from a fixed fulcrum pin e, and which also carries a pawl k, foroperating upon a ratchet wheel Z, fast on one end of thel takeup roll for the purpose of giving the necessary rotary motion to the "said roll. The said plate K, is pressed down upon the foundation by means of a sprin m, applied between it and the lever: T e-lever M, def rives the necessary motion for operatin 4,the pawl lo, from a cam P, on the mam -sla G.

' This needle' N, has an eye N, is the needle which laces the filling or locking thread s, throug the loops of the pile thread I), b, which j are protruded through the foundation i, by theneedles.

n, near its extremity, said eye passing vertically through it,

and it is of a length suiicient to permit its eye to pass through a whole row of loops of the pile threads that have been protruded through the foundation by the needles a, a. The'said needle is arranged horizontally to Work close within the angles of the teeth c, c,

of the front plate, and is carried by a slider Q, 'which works in a suitable korizontal guiding groove in the front of the bedplate A. This slider Q, is driven by a connecting rod Q, which connects it with the arm R of a horizontal rockshaft R, which Works in bearings in brackets p, p, secured to the side lof the bedplate A, the said rockshaft deriving the necessary rocking motion to operate the slider Q, from a crank pin or eccentric wrist g, attached to a fly main. shaft G, the said crank pin being connectedby a'rod S, with'the arm R of the rocks'haft R.

The filling thread s, is supplied to the needle N,from a spool T, which is fitted to a spindle t, carried by the slider Q, the said spool having produced u on itfthe necessary friction to produce a esirable'v degree of tension on the thread by a spring t', which is compressed against the spool by a nut t, fitted to a screw thread on the spindle t.

fa, is a tongue of steel or other metal arranged at the opposite end of the row of teeth c, to that from which the needle N, enters the loops of the pile threads; the said tongue bein attached to the front end of a horizontal s iding rod U, which is arranged to work guides under the bedplate A, at right angles to the needle N, and parallel w1th the sides or selvag'e of the `foundation fabric, and which vis moved back and forth by ther combined action of a face cam o, on

the front of the fly wheel S, and a spring lw, which connects it with the bedplate and holds it back against the said cam. The duty of the tongue u, is to advance. and pass between the top needle N,

of catchingthe said thread s,- and hol ing it while the'needle'N, retreats through the loops 'of the, pile threads, thus preventing thethread s, being drawn'back out of the loops of the pile threads. To provide for the free lpassage of the said tongue between the needle N, and its thread, the said needle has a cavity y, in its under side near the 'eye 'as shown in Fig. 5, and the tongue passes the needle in this cavity.-

The operation4 of this' machine is as follows.` The end of the foundation fabric having been brought' forward from the roll and its thread 8,. after the'latter have passed through a row vof loops ofthe pile threads, for the pur ose wheel S, on the" J, and secured to the takeup roll L, the ile threads having been brought from t ieir beam H, or spools, to and through the eyes of the needlesa, a., and the filling or loc-kingr and after thesaid needles have beendrawn back far. enough to produce a slaclniess of their threads in front of the needles in the same manner as the slackness is produced in sewing machines for the admission of the shuttle or looper, the needle N, advances and carries its thread a, in a'doubled condition Aacross the front of the needles a av and between the said needles and the slack portions of their threads.

When they needle N has completed its advance and carried its eye n, some distance past the'last needle of the row, the tongue u, advances and passes between the said needle and its thread 8,. and is thus caused to retain the said thread in the form of a loop, as

shown in Fig. l, when the needle N, retreats` past the needlesv a, a, and so caises the said thread to be left doubled Within the looped portions of the pile threads that protrude through the foundation z'. The retreat of the needle N, is followed by the completion of the ascent of the needles a, a, and the threads s, locks the loops of the pile threads and prevents their withdrawal through the foundation. rllhe tongue u, does not move back out of the loop of the filling threads s, tilly after the needles a, a, have completed their ascent and tightened the loops of the pile threads b, upon the said filling t-hread.- Every time the needles a, a, are withdrawn from f the fabric the pawl le, operates upon the ratchet Z, and turns the take-up roll the requisite distance to present the foundation 2', in a suitable position to receive a new row of loops from the needles (L, a; and every repetition of the above described series of operations passes a new row of loops 'of pile thread through the foundation and introduces thereinto the locking or filling thread. rllhe pile threads on the upper surface of the finished fabric Fig. 3 is a plan of the same.

lie close against the foundation, between the rows of loops as shown at at',yr a', in Fig. 6, and the pile isl formed by the loops z, e, and their filling, on theunder surface, which constitutes the face of the finished fabric.

lin Sheet lili, Fig. l, is afront elevation of the machine. Fig. 2, is a'vertitcal section of the same, taken at right angles to Fig. l. Fig. et, is a front view of one of the rods' on Which the K pile isiformed. Fi 5, is a section parallel with the pile threa s of the fabric produced in the machine. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This machine only differs'from that represented in Sheet l, in its using rods over which to form the pile, and in its having some additional mechanism for the purpose of introducing and drawing these rods,

and in its dispensing. with'the take-up roll and' using a dierent means of feeding the Woven foundation to the needles and taking up' or carrying away the finished fabric; and therefore to avoid needless repetition l Vwill not particularly describe those parts of this machine which are common to the already described machine' but only the parts which dier', and l have indicated those parts which correspond by the same letters in both sheets of the drawings, so that the foregoing description of those parts will apply also to Sheet ll.

The rods 7, 7, Which are employed iii/this machine and of which there may be 'two' or more, consist simply of wires of sudicient length to pass through the rows of loops of the pile threads, and protrude a short distance from each end of the row, having each at one 4end a small cutter 8, and -being squared or fiattened at the opposite extremity to enable them 4to be laid hold of by the nippers by which they are withdrawn from the pile and to prevent them turning in said nippers. These rods, after the first and each' succeeding row of loops has been made and secured by the filling thread in the manner described with reference to Sheet l, of the drawing, are deposited one at a time above the woven foundation z', by the means which l will presently describe, and are pushed forward to bring the last one that has been thus deposited to a position above the teeth c, c, and in front of the needles a, a, by the advance of the plate K, which only diders from that of the machine represented in Sheet l', by having its front edge made deeper and beveled in front as shown in Fig. 2 (Sheet ll) to prevent the rods slipping over it. rl`he needles a, a., in descending pass behind the last rod 'and lay the pile threads over itin the form of loops previously to the formation of the row ofl loops below the foundation i; and as the said needle, advanceY along with the said needle andhave their lips forced on to the squared or flattened extremity of the front rod and Vare thus caused to seize the said rod which is prevented being pushed longitudinally by said nippers by a stop 18, on the scent of the needles a, a, through the foundationz', to carry the next row of. loops through 'a small inclined plane 13, which is arranged .needles and the carryin late E; and when the said slider Q, moves ack again, the ni pers, moving along lwith it, draws said ro from the pile that has. been formed uponv it and the cutter 8, on the said rod cuts the4 oops of said pile.

The nippers 9, hold the rodstationary behind an u ward'projection or rojections 10, 10, on t e front edge of the p ate E, till the advance of a air of spring nip ers`11, which are attached to 'a slide V, wor ing in guides on the top of the bedplate A, arallel with the pile threads and the foun ation 1I, takes place, when the latter nippers seizeA said rod and' move back again, drawing the said'rod from between the ni pers 9, as far as a stop 12, on the top o the bedplate through which stop the said nip ers 11, pass; and the said rod being arreste by the said stop while the latter nippers move back through it, those nippers are caused to spring open and slip oli' it, leaving it iin front of said stop, and in a recess 14, behind in front of said stop, and over which the said rod has been carried by the nippers. The rod remains in this recess 14, till-,the slider Q, and needle N, advance againwhen. it is pushed longitudinally from the `recess 14, to a position in front of the late K, by a-,pusher 15, attached to the sli er Q, and when thus deposited in front of the said platenK, it is in readiness to be pushed forward by said plate to a position in front of the needles ready to receive the row of loops that will be formed upon itby the nextdel the said foundation. The slide V, Which carries the nippers 11, lis driven forward by means of a cam 16, (see Fig. I2) on the front of the fly-wheel S, and drawn back again by means of a spring 17, connecting saidrod with the bed plate.

The feeding of the foundation' z', ltothe away o ff the piled fabric from in front of t e needles is effected by the action of the late K, on the rod last deposited infront of) it; the saidrod being pushedforward against the one in' front of 1t :that is in the last row of pile loops and thus driving forward the fabric over the' front edgeof the plate E, and drawing more of the foundation z', from the roll J. The piled fabric,as fast as itis delivered over the edge of the plate E, may bedeposited upon the floor or in any suitable receptacle or may be taken u on a roller.

In the cut pile abric thus produced, represented in section in Fig. 5, the filling thread s, in the loops z, 2, serves to secure the cut pile and prevent its being drawn -out of the foundation z'. In the manufacture of cut pile fabrics I do not propose generally to useso large a locking thread s, as when tru' ed throughA the foundation by the needles a, a, as this thread is not intendedvso much as a filling4 for the loops as to prevent their withdrawal through the foundation. I pro ose, however, in some cases, to

use a lar er ocking or filling thread to produce a fa ric with a'cut pile on one side and an uncut pile 0n the opposite side, and also in some .cases to produce an'uncut pile upon rods 7, 7, applied and o erating as herein described,fbut constructe Without the cutters 8, so that the pile willnot' be cut by their withdrawal. j

' In the manufacturev of these fabrics for carpets or for other purposes, a pattern may be produced in the pile by the printing or dyein of the pile threads manu acture in a substantial y similar manner to what is commonly practiced in the weaving of Brussels and other piled' carpets.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to sec'ure by Letters Patent, is

1. The employment, in the manufacture of piled fabrics, of a series of needles a, a, for passing the pile threads through a previously woven foundation in rows of loops, and of a single-needle .N, operating transrevious to the versely to the said series of needles, for the" purpose of carrying a continuous filling or locking thread' through the successive rows of loops of the as herein specific (pile threads, Isubstantially 2. The emplo ment, in combination with the series of pi e thread needles a, a', andthe filling or locking thread needle, of a tongue u applied and operating substan tially as' escribed, to catch and revent the withdrawal of the filling or locklngthread.

3. The attachment of the nippers 9, which draw the rods from the pile, ,tothe same slider Q, or its equivalent, which carriesV thel locking or illing thread needle N, so that the same mechanism serves to operate the .ino

-said nippers and the needle substantially as herein described.YV v 4. The combination of the nippers 11, and the stop-12, with theI nippers 9,A the whole operating together substantiallyas and for the purpose herein set forth.

' 5. The combination with the two pairs of nippers 9, and 1l, of the stop 12, the lnclined plane 13, the recess 14, and the, usher 15,

the whole operating togethersu stantia as and for the purpose herein specified. v

6. Feeding the foundation c', to the needles and carrying away the linished piled fabric from the needles by means of a plate K, or its equivalent pushing against the rods 7, 7, Substantially as herein described.

CHARLES MILLER. Witnesses:

J. W. Coomss, R. S. SPENCER. 

